Temporary Illusion
by Fullmetal Yamiflea
Summary: Joey is caught between two worlds:1 where he plays the role of the weak son of a bastard father and the other where he is seen as the courageous friend.But what happens when the pressure of home gets too much for him alone to handle? See prfl 4 updts. R


Temporary Illusion

Chapter 1: Lies

"GET OUT!! AND I NEVER WANNA SEE YOUR FUCKING FACE A GAIN!"

_...Yeah..goodbye to you too..._

It was another day he had to run out of the house. Another day that he had to cover up that fresh cut on his upper lip. Another day he had to look like a clumsy fool infront of his friends. It was another day he was sick of living. Another day of lies.

Joey Wheeler was a high school student who, like the majority of jocks in the world, regularly failed in subjects like Maths and Science, but excelled in Physical Health and Development. To his friends, he was the kind but tough Joey who hardly knew the meaning of fear and deeply despised the tall brunette that was the CEO of Kaiba Corp. The only one out of his friends that knew the true meaning behind his swollen lip or his black eye, or even why he was limping, was Tristan Taylor. Even then did his childhood friend refrain from asking if he was okay or offered to help, well, at least in front of the others. But to Joey this was expected. He would rather look like a clumsy dork and hide his wounds from the rest of the gang, than show them what the real state of his home life was like. Sure they already knew that his parents had split and that he didn't see Serenity as much, but that was all he would let them in on. He couldn't bear the thought of looking weak and defenceless in their eyes. No. He had enough of that to deal with back home.

As he made his way to school, Joey swung his book bag over his shoulder carefully so as not to upset the cuts from last week and wiped his upper lip clean from the blood that had started to trickle. In the distance he could see the corner of his school building and all he could think about was how he was supposed to hide this one. He had gym that day, and, though he liked gym, it posed a problem for the discretion he tried so hard to maintain. A fresh bruise on his arm forced him to wear his sports jacket over his uniform, and running track in a sports jacket was a simple recipe for a heat stroke, especially on a warm day like this one.

_I don't give a damn..._He thought.._suffering a heat stroke and winding up in hospital is better than them seeing the state my life is in, if anything it might even boost my rep. with them.._

Joey smiled a little at this pathetic thought. That's all he trully was, pathetic. Hiding the fact that he was being beaten regularly by the drunk ass he was forced to call 'father' from his best friend was the most pathetic thing to him. Joey could withstand the blows, take the punches, and roll with the kicks his father gave him, but he wasn't even sure if he could take what Yugi would say. No doubt he would try and do something about it, like alert the authorities...but what use was that? All they could do is add to the complication of shit that was his life. He had already been involved in a gang so he wasn't exactly on the 'good citizens' list with the police. Anyone aquainted with people like Joey were bound to be descriminated against no matter how outstnading their reputation was.

Joey thought back...'father'. The man he lived in the same house with hardly deserved the title. He followed this last train of thought as he aproached the school gates, stepping through them just in time for the bell. He stopped and looked up, his friends were probably waiting inside. He stepped into the building and put his things away. A quick look in the mirror of the boys' bathroom just to check if all looked well on the outside before he walked into his class. Sure enough there they were: Yugi sitting in his seat, Tristan sitting near by, Tea standing behind. The small spiky headed teen looked up with his purple eyes and waved as Joey entered the classroom...

"Hey Joey! We thought you were gonna miss class." chirped the small boy, "Hey, did you fall down again on your way to school?"

This drew the attention of everyone else in their little circle, coupled with the regular patronizing glances from the blue eyed brunette.

"You should really learn to be more carefull.." said a calm looking Tristan, his tone indicating a hidden meaning that only Joey could interpret.

"Yeah I know..." Joey said, nodding in a semi-reasurring way. He understood where Tristan was comming from and he knew that he had to be more carefull when it came to dealing with his 'family'.There was no way in a million years that Tristan would turn on him and tell the others about what went on, so he knew he had nothing to worry about. So he sat down at his desk and leaned back on his chair, swinging it casually on its back legs...

"So, Yugi..did you catch the duel monsters tornament last night?" Joey asked, looking over at Yugi, placing his hands behind his head in a lazy way. That was enough, he thought...enough to stem the conversation away from him and arouse the interest of everyone else..well..maybe not Tristan.

The bell rang for class to start and everyone returned to their desks. Joey looked out the window, letting his thoughts consume him. He wondered what it was like to be as carefree as the others, not having to give a damn about what they did at home. The idea of leaving home was always in the back of his mind, it's silent pursuation getting the best of him at present. As he stared out blankly into the sky, he estimated how much money he would have earned by the end of the year, and whether that was enough for him to rent out an apartment.

_...Maybe if I work overtime during the holidays and weekends..._Joey thought, absentmidedly tapping his pencil on his notebook.

The lights in the classroom turned off and the teacher proceeded with placing a video tape into the VCR. Tristan, who sat behind Joey, tapped him on ths shoulder quietly...

"You don't look too good man, what'd that bastard do this time?" He asked in a whipser as a murmur stirred in the class.

"A few bruises here 'n' there. The usual.." Joey whispered back, turning slowly in his seat so he could face his friend properly..

"Maybe you should skip PE then. You know, Yugi's been getting suss..he's started to ask me questions too. You know I can't lie to 'em. You should really just tell him, what's the worst that could happen?"

Joey mulled the words over in his mind. The worst that could happen would be him loosing one of his best friends, that's what..and now, he knew he needed him more. He rather contribute to that stupid smile his little friend always had, than sit in a corner and whine over how miserable his life was. He'd be seen as weak, and defenceless...which everybody knew Joey **not** to be...


End file.
